I wanted to take the time to respond to the recent “Buy Local” idea being taken on by both the Opelika Observer and the daily paper these last few weeks.
I agree completely with the idea, and hope more people will start to work more with businesses that are truly locally owned.
While it is great to have local citizens like ourselves take the time and the effort to “buy local,” we have to be sure to hold our government to a similar responsibility.
For example, city and county governments are required to purchase legal ads occasionally to advertise various changes or issues, like re-zonings or public hearings.
With almost any other purchases made by these governmental bodies, the lowest bidder almost always gets the job.
Not so with legals. These can be given to whomever is chosen by the powers that be.
However, if our local tax dollars, yours and mine, are going to pay for these ads (and they are), why shouldn’t we demand our local governments to find the best, cheapest way to transmit that information to the people.
And, in this case, it would seem the best, cheapest way might also just happen to be the local business: the Opelika Observer.
We shouldn’t be wasting local money spending more than we ought to when there are other city and county services it could be going toward.
That money can be better spent here locally on citizens like us, not lining the pockets of suits in Virginia.
-Henry Stern
Opelika
